Vassiliko Cement Works is officially a Certified Equality Employer

Since November 29, 2018, Vassiliko Cement Works has announced being officially a Certified Equality Employer for implementing an integrated system promoting gender equality at work.

The Labor Relations Department of the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance organized on Thursday, November 29, 2018 an awarding ceremony for the businesses certified in 2018 by the National Certification Body. The awards were granted by the Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance, Mrs. Zeta Emilianidou. The certification was delivered to Vassiliko Cement Works Executive Chairman, Mr. Antonios Antoniou.

The certification model is the action of the co-financed project ''Actions to Bridge the Gender Pay Gap'' by the European Social Fund and the Republic of Cyprus.

According to the Cypriot Certification Model, the businesses are entitled to request two types of certification:

a.  Certification for ''Equality Employer'', regarding an integrated system for promoting gender equality at work.

b.  Best Practice Certification.

The distinction ''Equality Employer'' constitutes the pinnacle of the Company's efforts and a recognition of best practices and policies applied, ensuring for its personnel gender equality conditions, equal opportunities for evolution, professional and family life balance and in particular, the principle of equal pay between men and women for the same work or for a work of equal value.

More specifically, the Company promotes and applies a performance evaluation system of all its employees on annual basis. The evaluation outcomes constitute the basis for elaborating an action plan on issues of personnel evolution, development and rewarding. A predetermined communication policy is also applied between employees as well as a plan of suggestions, comments, complaints, exchange of views and dialogue through designated programs, such as the annual personnel opinion survey and other actions.

Integrated codes are developed and applied, such as codes of conduct, ethics, sexual harassment and codes against bullying and various policies and actions in relation to reconciling professional and family life, such as:

• Flexible working hours
• Summer school for employees' children
• Paid leave for days of training during a weekend
• Corporate events with the participation of employees' families
• Christmas event for employees' children
• Parking space for pregnant employees

and many other actions underpinned on the Company's philosophy and culture principles tangibly supporting equal participation and treatment of men and women at the workplace; the Company considers that equal treatment is a driver for competitiveness and growth not only of a company but of an entire country.